29 Aug

Before you get confused by the title, just know that I’m not talking about renting out the nearby playhouse and putting on a show. I’m referring to the dramatic act of the ritual and why it is so important. Some criticisms of paganism that I have read have pointed out that it’s reliance on rituals and the â€œtheatricalâ€ aspects of the faith as evidence of it’s fallacy and absurdity. To those critics, I point to the Catholic mass â€“ just as theatrical as a Beltane festival, if not more. To top it off, there are so many correlations between both types of rituals that it’s sometimes hard to remember which came first.

Ritual is theater, and there’s a good reason for blending the two. The Greeks used theater enactments of the lives of the Gods to teach their religion to the masses. Years later, the medieval churches of Europe did the same to purport Christian theology. There is great power in ritual. Just like a theatrical drama, it transports you to a different place and time.

Ritual is an important part of this path, and if you feel like you can be a part of this religion without ritual, I’ve got news for you. You can’t. I’m all for individual expression of a religion. But trying to be a pagan without ritual is like trying to swim without water. Ritual is who we are and what we do.

A lot of newcomers to this path wonder how ritual is important and how rigid it needs to be. Do you really need to have all the items on a ritual list to make your magick work? Does the Goddess get offended if you don’t have a silver candle? Is it not worth doing unless you have the specific tools? Well, yes and no.

I say yes because I know the important impact that ritual has had in my life. By raising energy with my circle or by myself in a ritual fashion, I know that the magick I create in my life has real lasting power. Taking part in the ritual full board, with all of the bells and whistles, creates a shift in the mind of the practitioner. Doing a ritual in full ceremonial dress and having all of your supplies at hand is important to the magick and energy that you’ll create during that time.

It’s not that the ceremonial garb makes the magick per se, but it certainly does help. It helps you get in the right frame of mind so that you can create the energy that you need to complete your magick. This is where the â€œnoâ€ of my yes and no answer comes into play. As seasoned witch has enough magickal power built up within him or herself so that they could cast a spell without a single tool. But most are so comfortable with using the tools that they continue to do so.

Tools are symbols in ritual, just like props in a play. They aren’t really the things they pretend to be. But you give them energy as if they were. That’s why it doesn’t matter if you buy a cauldron blessed by some High Priestess somewhere, or use a tupperware container that you have handy. If you treat both in the same way, the magick will be the same.

But as humans, we have a hard time believing in things that we can’t see. The props in our rituals help us to visualize the energy that we are creating, as well as symbolize the different aspects of the ritual. It’s because of this that formal rituals continue to be an important part of witchcraft.

In essence, when you’re performing a ritual you are performing a play that honors God and Goddess. You are saying to them â€œLook….I am stepping out of my normal mundane life to honor you. This is important to me.â€ All of the ceremonies, rituals and spells that are a part of paganism were created by someone like yourself who wanted to tap into the great energy of the Universe and use it to manifest change. They carefully selected the actions, altar decorations, clothes worn, colors used and every other little detail to create a specific mood, message or meaning. In many ways, it’s just like writing a play. Expert ritual writers will consistently revise their rituals and spells to make them more refined and powerful.

So the next time you’re getting ready to do a little ritual, think about the outer trapping of the ritual as your tools to touch the divine. They may seem a little silly at first, but that’s only because they are outside of the experience that you are used to having in the mundane world. For those of us who walk this path, they’ve become important symbols of what magick is. A little theater never hurt anyone.

Brightest Blessings,

Rose Ariadne, Your Warm And Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”

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22 Aug

I’m sure if you’ve spent any length of time searching for wicca and witchcraft related topics, you have seen a lot of paid magickal services. These can range anywhere from spellcasting services and spell casting kits to books or courses on magick. In your local area, there may be people who offer spiritual housecleaning, aura cleansing or other magick related services.

While I’ve always been a proponent of the â€œdo it yourselfâ€ method of magick, I can see a need and a reason for these types of paid magickal services. There are things in the magickal world that you could do yourself, but sometimes things are better done by a professional. Here are some tips for finding the right type of magickal practitioner.

Before I get into the specific tips, I’d like to speak a little about the reason that it’s important to pay people for what they do. There is sort of a issue that some people have about paying for spiritual work. I don’t quite understand the difference between paying for a physical service or a spiritual service. I would never dream of having a cleaning lady come over to my house to clean my bathroom and kitchen, and then telling her â€œyou like doing this sort of thing, so that is payment enough.â€ Yet many people have this attitude about aura cleansing and spell casting.

I think this comes from the separation of the physical and spiritual in the material world. Although I think that the separation of church and state in our American government is definitely a good thing, I think it has caused a separation in the minds of people as well. The spiritual side of life is considered to be different from the physical world, when really they are very much the same.

We’re living in exciting times where science is finally touching on some of the things we have known for years. Spirit, the unseen force in the universe, has an effect on the physical. The way we envision ourselves and approach life has a impact on the results. The experiment that is watched by the scientist has different results than the experiment that goes unwatched. It’s interesting to see how we are now scientifically discovering the spiritual.

But I digress. The point that I am trying to make is that the spiritual and the physical are one in the same. Saying that someone who spiritually cleans your house is less valuable than someone who is physically cleaning your house is absurd. Both are spending their time and their energy on something and they should both be compensated.

Selecting the right type of paid magickal practitioner is essential. You need to make the right selection because unfortunately there are a lot of people out there who think that it’s easy to scam people who are looking for spiritual services. My first word of advice is to find someone local that you can meet face to face. This way you can judge for yourself whether they seem to be reliable and trustworthy.

If you can’t manage to meet the practitioner in person, look for someone online who has a good reputation. Someone who shows their face on their website is always preferable to someone who hides behind the mask of anonymity. Real practitioners are proud of what they do and don’t need to hide. Real testimonials and also try to type the name of the service and â€œscamâ€ into your favorite search engine. If someone was unhappy with their services and posted about it somewhere, you’ll be able to find it this way.

Before you purchase anything, think about your goals for your purchase. What type of results are you looking for and are they reasonable? For example, if you’re purchasing a spiritual house cleansing, are you expecting checks to start arriving in the mail, your family to stop having arguments and your excess weight to disappear immediately? Obviously I’m overexaggerating, but you get the point. Make sure your expectations are reasonable.

One of the ways to screen a potential practitioner is to evaluate the way that they answer your questions. Ask him or her about the results. If they promise the sun, moon and stars or they seem to be impatient with questions, then they are just after your money. Real practitioners want to make you comfortable before you hire them for services. They’ll be patient with questions and answer them freely.

You can also screen them by asking them about their background. If they are vague, or insist that they have been handed down their great-great grandmother’s voo doo secrets or some other obviously fake claim, you should walk the other way. Someone who is honestly falling this path won’t mind telling you that he has been a Gardenerian witch for the last 10 years, or that she was drawn to Wicca as a teen but didn’t formally start practicing until after she had children.

The best advice I can give when you are paying for magickal services is that you should go with your gut. If you feel at all unsure about this person and paying them money, then find someone else. Your inner guidance will tell you what you who you should be hiring and for what purposes.

Brightest Blessings,

Rose Ariadne, Your Warm And Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”

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15 Aug

We’ve come to the end of our journey with the planetary energies. Pluto is a powerful and transformative planet, although recent scientific studies have shown that it’s not a planet at all. It’s considered a â€œdwarfâ€ planet, but it’s energy isn’t dwarfed at all. At the outer reaches of our solar system, it represents change, the unknown, transformation and rebirth. The discovery of the planet in 1930 certainly changed the way that we looked at the solar system. It’s recategorization is just further proof of it’s status as an agent of tranformation.

Like the other transpersonal planets, Pluto effects entire generations. Astrologically speaking, it remains in one sign for a full 21 years, meaning that large portions of the population are effected in the same way by Pluto in their birth chart. It effects the way that they transform and change the world. You can see evidence of this in how each new generation has an impact on civilization in a different way.

In magick, Pluto has important significance because it is a symbol for magick itself. Pluto changes and transforms, just as you change and transform yourself and the energy around you when you perform magick. It also rules Scorpio, the sign of the magick, the occult and hidden secrets. At it’s very core, each spell or ritual you partake in is Plutonian in nature.

Mythically speaking, Pluto is named for the Roman god of the Underworld (referred to in Greek mythology as Hades). Pluto was a miner who took the minerals from below the earth’s surface to provide the world with minerals and elements. You can draw parallels from this legend to the aspects of Pluto’s energy. Pluto works with what is beneath you (your inner life, your psyche, your â€œdark sideâ€) to bring beauty and depth to your outer life.

Don’t mistake this for a license to practice black magick with Pluto. As you know, I’ve been a practitioner of the craft for over 27 years, and I’ve never had the need or desire to turn to the dark side of magick. When I refer to Pluto representing the dark side of yourself, I don’t mean it in a black magick sense. By dark side, I mean the part of yourself that you keep in the closet or hidden from others. This aspect of your life should be included in your life just as much as your public face. Your dark side is your hidden desires, secret fears and inner motivations.

With that being said, I’d like to share a little spell with you that I use on a yearly basis to renew myself for the coming year. This spell is appropriate to do on your birthday or during the time when Scorpio (Pluto) rules the Sun (it’s mid October to mid November).

This ritual, called the Butterfly Transformation ritual is a way of honoring the changes in your life, and the new â€œincarnationâ€ that you are stepping into. If you are at a point where you know that your life is going to require some major transformation, this is a perfect spell to honor the passing of the old and celebrate the appearance of the new.

In order to complete this ritual, you’ll need a piece of paper and some color crayons. That’s right, color crayons! You’re going to draw some inspiration from your elementary school days and create a butterfly on your piece of paper with your crayons. Take time doing this and think about the colors that you are using. Listen to your intuition and pick colors that speak to you.

Once you’re done creating your butterfly, you’ll need five candles. Put one candle in each corner of the room, and then one in the center. Stand near the center candle and say the following:

I call to the powers that be,
Awaken my synchronicity
Now light my way
in night and day,
so that I see
What’s right for me
and have it come
Pluto’s will be done,
Below and above
In the name of love

Then place the butterfly where the center candle was sitting, and take the candle to light the other candles. Start in the North, or the corner closest to the North.

I call to the North
Let the New come forth;
I call to the East:
Let the Old be released
I call to the South:
Let your light be my path;
I call to the West:
Let it be for the best.

Take your first candle back to the center of the room and then place it down. Pick up your butterfly and sit facing the South. Say the following:

Thank you for where I have been

Rotate toward the North and say the following:

I look forward to where I am going

At this point, you’ll want to focus on the butterfly and feel your attention and energy flowing from your body into the paper. Feel your energy flowing out from the butterfly and filling the whole room. Repeat the following:

Four quarters plus one
My old life is done
Four quarters plus one
My new life has begun

Blow out the center candle, and then snuff out the others in counter clockwise motion. As you blow out each candle, remember to thank the quarters for their presence by bowing.

Brightest Blessings,

Rose Ariadne, Your Warm And Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”

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08 Aug

After the straight-laced energy of Saturn and the erratic energy of Uranus, you’re going to find Neptune to be a walk in the park. For the most part Neptune is light, dreamy and gentle. The only problem with this energy is that it can be too dream-like and disassociative. The balance to remember when working with Neptune is that there has to be some reality to ground you to the present, or you’ll spiritually float off.

Some people consider Neptune to be a higher vibrational energy of Venus, and in some ways I understand this line of thinking. Like Venus, Neptune is associated with creativity, friendship and general â€œgoodâ€ feelings. But just like Uranus is a transpersonal planet, Neptune has the same status. Neptune energy is about the larger impact of these feelings. It looks at things from a cultural perspective instead of just a personal one. It’s a higher vibration in the sense that it has a wider scope of view of these aspects of life. The word higher doesn’t imply that it’s better or more powerful. It just means that it is larger than your personal focus.

In mythology, Neptune is the God of the sea and also goes by the more familiar name of Poseidon. Though Neptune is a God, astrologically and magickally he possess a lot of typically feminine powers. Neptune energy is mutable and changeable, like the tides of the ocean and like a woman’s monthly cycle. Overall, Neptune energy is about change and dissolving past normal constraints and exploring the outer reaches of human experience. While Uranian energy is rebellious, Neptune’s path toward the same end is gentle and subtle.

When you use Neptune in your magickal practice, you are tapping into the great forces of creativity, spirituality and acceptance. Neptune is the ruler of Pisces, the last sign of the zodiac. It co-rules the sign with Jupiter. If you’ll remember from the post on Jupiter, that planet has connection with religious insight and philosophy. Neptune’s approach to this subjects is a little different. Rather than working within existing areas, Neptune seeks to create new modes of creativity, communication and fellowship.

Neptune is a spiritually power planet, and there are a lot of different ways you could go in your use of this energy in your magick. One of the most common ways of using Neptunian energy is to focus on the creative aspects of the planet. The following spell will give you creative inspiration when you need it.

This ritual will help you call upon the energy of Neptune to awaken the creative fires within yourself. Even if you aren’t an artist, poet, writer or other â€œtypicalâ€ creative person, there is a part of everyone’s life that is creative. Whether it’s taking care of your home, thinking outside of the box at work or gardening on the weekends, creativity is part of everyone’s life. This spell will help you feel inspired no matter what it is that you do.

Prepare for this ritual by placing as many white candles as you need to form a circle on your altar. In the middle of your circle, you’ll place a glass dish filled with ice (or snow if it’s handy). Begin your ritual as you normally would. You may want to add some reminder of Neptune’s energy on your altar. You can add a piece of jade or amethyst to your altar to represent the energy of Neptune. You can also include clove, sage or lilac as herbs in the ritual for Neptune.

Although Neptune doesn’t have a specific day tied to it, you should time this ritual for a full moon or while the moon is waxing (gaining strength). Since creativity is all about sending your energy outward, you want to do this ritual while the lunar energy is building and growing.

Light the candles in a counter clockwise motion, and then picture inspiration flowing from the candles into the water or ice. This water molecules are collecting the inspiration from the candles and building up the energy of creativity. As you visualize this, repeat the following words:

Nut to tree, seed to flower
Nurture my creative power
Growing as it fills this dish
Inspiration is my wish

Meditate on the flame of the candles, and let them burn as long as you can (safely, of course!) Once you’re done reflecting on the Neptune’s energy, snuff out the candles. The bowl of water is filled with this special energy, and you can take it into yourself by drinking the water.

As you work with the energy of Neptune in other ways in your magickal practice, you’ll find that it’s a nice balance to the outwardly focused Mars and the strict Saturn. Neptune asks us to look at things creatively, spiritually and with an eye toward illusion.

Brightest Blessings,

Rose Ariadne
Your Warm And Caring, “Resident Witch In Charge”

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01 Aug

Uranus is considered a â€œtrans personalâ€ planet. In astrology, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are all in signs for long periods of time so a whole generation of people will have, for example, Uranus in Gemini. It’s symbolic of a social collective of forces. It’s beyond personal, and you’ll find when you work with the energy of these planets in your magickal workings that it is powerful and profound.

Uranus is the modern ruler of Aquarius. In ancient times, before Uranus was discovered, Saturn ruled Aquarius as well. It seems odd to have Saturn and Uranus, two vastly different planets, rule the same sign. It’s part of what makes Aquarians such complex and conflicted people. But I digress.

To sum up Uranus’ energy, it’s helpful to look to the time that it was discovered in the sky â€“ the year 1781. If you were to sum up the state of the world during that period of time into one world it would be revolution. The American revolution was still taking place, the French were in the midst of their own revolution and as the world looked to the year 1800, the Industrial revolution was starting to take hold and change the way the human race worked and lived. By the time the 19th century rolled around, the chaos of the previous years had resulted in an entirely new political, sociologic and economic landscape.

Uranus was named for the Greek god who hid his children deep within the earth and was later castrated by his son Cronos (Saturn). However, myself and many others feel like Uranus may have been â€œmisnamed.â€ To me, Uranian energy resonates more clearly with the story of Prometheus. After Saturn became king, Prometheus, a titan, stole fire from the Gods and gave it to humans. This trickster’s theft is representative of the Uranian energy of innovation, humanitarianism and rebellion.

To top it off, the orbit of the planet is eccentric and uneven. Like Saturn, it has a ring of iced meteorites encircling it. But unlike Saturn, it’s ring is changeable and erratic. If you choose to work with this energy, expect the unexpected! Your life will be greatly changed. It won’t always be easy but it will definitely be worth it.

You should work with Uranus when you feel like your life needs some shaking up. Uranian energy is excellent when you need to get yourself out of a rut and into something. Just don’t expect your change to be subtle or slide under the radar. Uranus is the teenager who dies their hair purple, not the 30 year old who plans and then gets a tattoo in a hidden place.

So now that you know a bit about Uranus, it’s time to do some spellwork with the energy. Uranian energy is quick and somewhat esoteric. That’s why it’s perfect to call in Uranus when doing spellwork related to psychic energies. As I’ve said before, even if you don’t consider yourself psychic you should take some time to develop your intuitive abilities. Everyone walking this path needs to be in tune with the subtle whispers of the God and Goddess.

There isn’t a day that is dedicated to Uranus, like the other planets. But if you want to give this spell some extra â€œoophmâ€ do it on a day where the Moon is in Aquarius. Find an ephemeris online and find the next date where the Moon will be in Aquarius. Since the Moon is also associated with psychic powers, doing this spell on a day when the Moon is Uranian will help you draw in more of that particular energy. The moon goes through a particular sign in about three days, so it shouldn’t take more than a month of waiting to do this on the right day.

In this ritual you’ll be creating a psychic herb jar that will help you capture those intuitive flashes that come your way with Uranian energy. You’ll need a small and the following herbs:

Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Ginger
Fennel Seeds
Garlic
Sage
Cloves

These herbs are related to Uranus and psychic abilities. Add the different spices together in a jar and shake them gently so they mix together. Once you’ve prepared the jar, you’ll need to consecrate it for psychic purposes. Take a piece of paper and inscribe the symbol for Uranus (it kind of looks like the Enterprise from Star Trek!). Make sure the paper is small so you can bury it deep within the jar.

Start your ritual as you normally would. You’ll need a white candle and a turquoise candle for the ritual, as well as your jar. Light the candles and then focus your energy on the jar. Once you feel like you’ve collected enough energy into your body, hold the jar and let your energy flow into the jar. Then pass the jar through the flame of the turquoise and the white candles. As you do this, say the following:

Open the door to my inner life,
Reveal the hidden messages to me.
Open the door to my inner life,
That my way may be made free.
Send me the light from Uranus free
Make the path bright and clear.
Give me signs, show it to me.

When you need intuitive inspiration and want to receive Uranus’s energy, hold the jar and inhale deeply. The scent of the herbs will

Brightest Blessings,

Rose Ariadne
Your Warm And Caring, “Resident Witch In Charge”

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